R I S E N

Chapter 15

"Elizabeth.." A male voice softly calls to me. It was probably Lance, he's always on my case about everything. I was so tired, I didn't want to wake up. I just wanted a moment of peace to relax and not think.

Something lightly grazes the skin on my shoulder making the rest of it crawl with goosebumps. I let out a quiet moan of annoyance, hinting to be left alone for at least another minute. The fingers to a strong, mildly rough hand, close in on my shoulder with a gentle grip and then it gradually tightens.

I try jerking my arm away and I push my body out further onto the table I was leaned against, suddenly getting very aggravated. I was seconds away from pulling my head from my arms that my face was buried in when fingers lock around my hair and rip it back. My head shoots back in response and suddenly my eyes are met with Chase's. He has the most frightening look on his face.

He leans in agonizingly close to my ear, I could feel his breath on the side of my face. If all the hairs weren't already standing up on my skin, they'd be soaring right now.

He stares down at me coldly, an emotionless half smile playing at his lips, "did you really think you could hide from me?"

Metal rattles in my ears pulling me from my sleep. I groan groggily and lift my head. My eyes connect with the gun I had laid out on the table in front of me. I fell asleep at the table. I couldn't sleep after last night, I was too anxious. I couldn't get my mind to settle so to feel a little more secure I brought out one of the guns and sat here with it.

My gaze shifts to the floor where I heard the metal sound the loudest. It was the can of beans from last night. The contents were stretched out on the floor, a tad bit splattered on my ankle. "Shit," I curse under my breath and pick it up.

I set it down on the table when Effy emerges from the room, "fall asleep at the table again?"

"Yeah," I give her a small smile.

Kaleb

I awake to the feeling of soft slender fingers stroking the side of my face. I crack an eye open and see Lacey smiling down at me, her half naked form laying next to me in bed. She bites her lower lip and in a soft voice says, "hey."

I crack my other eye open and smile big before closing them again, "hey babe." I reach over and pull her closer to me and she nuzzles her face in my chest.

We just lay there in silence until she states, "it's weird. Nothing feels different. There's all this shit going on in the world" she pauses and props herself up on her elbows, thoughtfully, "but in this very moment everything feels normal. It's almost as if we could just run away." At that moment I hear a quiet buzz come from my phone lying on the floor in my jeans. She falls silent.

Lacey smiles sadly as I lean over the side of the bed and dig my phone out. I swipe the screen to see 17 missed calls and about 15 texts in total from Lance, Ethan, and Shelly. I open one of the texts from Shelly and the words 'COME HOME NOW. Urgent!' come onto the screen.

"What does it say?" Lacey asks knowingly, a worried look on her face.

I hesitate uncertainly, "it's just from Shelly. She says I need to come home now, that it's urgent." I couldn't decide if I wanted to or not.

The worried look on Lacey's face deepens, "are you?"

"I don't know" I scratch the back of my head and set my phone down. I roll over pulling Lacey into my arms and I rest my head on her chest closing my eyes for a moment. "I kind of just want to stay in bed with you all day."

"Then do it. Don't leave me." She says seriously, a glint of desperation in her eyes.

I lift my head and furrow my eyebrows at her, "I'm not going to leave you."